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LeBaron Succession (Jacob Vidrine 4 of 4)
Jacob Vidrine discusses LeBaron succession! You may have heard of Ervil, Joel, and Ross LeBaron. Who took charge after Alma Dayer LeBaron died? Check out our conversation….
Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
LeBaron Divide: Priesthood, Power, & Struggle for the Birthright
When the name LeBaron is mentioned in discussions of Mormon fundamentalism, often the first person who comes to mind is the notorious Ervil LeBaron, a murderer who had a hit list and was a murderer and died in jail. However, the complex history of the LeBaron family and their unique claims to priesthood authority—separate from most other fundamentalist groups like the FLDS, AUB, and Woolley-ites—reveals a fascinating succession crisis rooted deep in Nauvoo-era doctrine.
We will discuss how the LeBarons obtained their distinct authority and how their patriarch’s death fractured the family into multiple competing groups across Utah and Mexico.
Peculiar Lineage: Tracing Authority to Benjamin F. Johnson
Unlike the majority of fundamentalists who trace their authority back to the 1886 revelation received by John Taylor (the Woolley line), the LeBaron authority stems from a different source. This lineage is traced to Benjamin F. Johnson, a close friend of Joseph Smith and a member of the secretive Council of 50.
The LeBaron authority claim relies on the concept of the “fullness of the priesthood” or the “highest order of the priesthood,” authority that Joseph Smith introduced in Nauvoo. This highest order involved making men “kings and priests” and conferring the sealing power. Johnson, who emphasized his role as the “last living original member of the Council of 50,” taught that Joseph Smith authorized him to teach these keys—plural marriage, endowments, garments, and the second anointing—to others when led by the Holy Spirit.
This unique priesthood was considered “above the church,” creating an authority that “no tribunal in the church could control.” Johnson, near his death (circa 1903-1905), charged his grandson, Alma Dayer “Dayer” LeBaron Sr., to carry on this special family birthright and the work of the kingdom.Hesitant Patriarch and the Failed Succession
Dayer LeBaron Sr., born in 1886, entered into plural marriage in the 1920s and moved his family to Mexico to escape prosecution, spending the rest of his life carving out a homestead there. Due to his secretive nature (leading to the nickname “The Silent Prophet”) and the mental decline of his intended firstborn successor, Benjamin. Dayer was hesitant to teach his younger children about his specific authority claims.
By 1950, Dayer’s health was failing rapidly; he was bedridden, suffering from paralysis, and could barely communicate. This severe decline set the stage for a succession crisis, as Dayer maintained that he could not appoint a successor “until the Holy Ghost tells me who to appoint.”
The resulting conflict split the family authority claims into three main groups:
Ross claimed he received a revelation urging him not to ask for the “birthright” title, but instead to ask for a “commission to carry on the patriarchal work.” This revelation emphasized a key tenet of his ministry: “the honor is in the work, not the title.”
The Split: Utah vs. Mexico LeBaron Succession
Dayer LeBaron ultimately died in 1951 without clearly naming a successor.
The lack of clear leadership led to an immediate schism:
The history of the LeBarons illustrates how complex foundational priesthood claims, combined with vague successions and sibling rivalries, led to divergent paths—one emphasizing ministry (Ross) and others ending in notoriety and violence (Ervil.)
Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
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By Rick BJacob Vidrine discusses LeBaron succession! You may have heard of Ervil, Joel, and Ross LeBaron. Who took charge after Alma Dayer LeBaron died? Check out our conversation….
Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
LeBaron Divide: Priesthood, Power, & Struggle for the Birthright
When the name LeBaron is mentioned in discussions of Mormon fundamentalism, often the first person who comes to mind is the notorious Ervil LeBaron, a murderer who had a hit list and was a murderer and died in jail. However, the complex history of the LeBaron family and their unique claims to priesthood authority—separate from most other fundamentalist groups like the FLDS, AUB, and Woolley-ites—reveals a fascinating succession crisis rooted deep in Nauvoo-era doctrine.
We will discuss how the LeBarons obtained their distinct authority and how their patriarch’s death fractured the family into multiple competing groups across Utah and Mexico.
Peculiar Lineage: Tracing Authority to Benjamin F. Johnson
Unlike the majority of fundamentalists who trace their authority back to the 1886 revelation received by John Taylor (the Woolley line), the LeBaron authority stems from a different source. This lineage is traced to Benjamin F. Johnson, a close friend of Joseph Smith and a member of the secretive Council of 50.
The LeBaron authority claim relies on the concept of the “fullness of the priesthood” or the “highest order of the priesthood,” authority that Joseph Smith introduced in Nauvoo. This highest order involved making men “kings and priests” and conferring the sealing power. Johnson, who emphasized his role as the “last living original member of the Council of 50,” taught that Joseph Smith authorized him to teach these keys—plural marriage, endowments, garments, and the second anointing—to others when led by the Holy Spirit.
This unique priesthood was considered “above the church,” creating an authority that “no tribunal in the church could control.” Johnson, near his death (circa 1903-1905), charged his grandson, Alma Dayer “Dayer” LeBaron Sr., to carry on this special family birthright and the work of the kingdom.Hesitant Patriarch and the Failed Succession
Dayer LeBaron Sr., born in 1886, entered into plural marriage in the 1920s and moved his family to Mexico to escape prosecution, spending the rest of his life carving out a homestead there. Due to his secretive nature (leading to the nickname “The Silent Prophet”) and the mental decline of his intended firstborn successor, Benjamin. Dayer was hesitant to teach his younger children about his specific authority claims.
By 1950, Dayer’s health was failing rapidly; he was bedridden, suffering from paralysis, and could barely communicate. This severe decline set the stage for a succession crisis, as Dayer maintained that he could not appoint a successor “until the Holy Ghost tells me who to appoint.”
The resulting conflict split the family authority claims into three main groups:
Ross claimed he received a revelation urging him not to ask for the “birthright” title, but instead to ask for a “commission to carry on the patriarchal work.” This revelation emphasized a key tenet of his ministry: “the honor is in the work, not the title.”
The Split: Utah vs. Mexico LeBaron Succession
Dayer LeBaron ultimately died in 1951 without clearly naming a successor.
The lack of clear leadership led to an immediate schism:
The history of the LeBarons illustrates how complex foundational priesthood claims, combined with vague successions and sibling rivalries, led to divergent paths—one emphasizing ministry (Ross) and others ending in notoriety and violence (Ervil.)
Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission